Rahm Emanuel

Emanuel's father, Benjamin M. Emanuel, was born in Jerusalem, where he was a member of the Irgun, a controversial Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Mandatory Palestine and was widely considered a terror organization. He moved to the United States to work as a pediatrician at Michael Reese Hospital. The surname Emanuel (Hebrew: ) was adopted by their family in memory of Rahm's uncle (his father's brother) Emanuel Auerbach, who died of an infection after being hit by a stray bullet during a 1933 conflict between Arab protestors and the police in Mandatory Palestine. Emanuel's maternal grandfather was a Moldovan Jew who emigrated from Bessarabia. His mother, Marsha (née Smulevitz), is the daughter of a West Side Chicago labor union organizer who worked in the civil rights movement. She briefly owned a local rock and roll club, and later became an adherent of Benjamin Spock's writings. Emanuel's parents met during the 1950s in Chicago. He attended Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Lakeview for elementary school. He has been described by his older brother Ezekiel, an oncologist and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, as "quiet and observant" as a child. Emanuel also has a younger adopted sister, Shoshana. ==Education and ballet dance==

Ezekiel has written that their father "did not believe in falsely building his sons' self-esteem by purposefully letting us win, or tolerating sloppy play." About Rahm, he also wrote: While he lived in Chicago, Emanuel attended the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. After his family moved to Wilmette, north of the city, Emanuel attended public schools: Romona School, Locust Junior High School, and New Trier High School. He and his brothers attended summer camp in Israel, including the summer following the June 1967 Six-Day War. While a high school student working part-time at an Arby's restaurant, Emanuel severely cut his right middle finger on a meat slicer, which was later infected from swimming in Lake Michigan. His finger was partially amputated due to the severity of the infection. Rahm was encouraged by his mother to take ballet lessons, and is a graduate of the Evanston School of Ballet, as well as a student of the Joel Hall Dance Center, where his children later took lessons. He won a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet, but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts school with a strong dance program. While an undergraduate, Emanuel was elected to the Sarah Lawrence Student Senate. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 1981 with a bachelor of arts in liberal arts, and went on to receive a master of arts in speech and communication from Northwestern University in 1985. Emanuel took part in a two-week civilian volunteer holiday, known as the Sar-El, where, as a civilian volunteer, he assisted the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, helping to repair truck brakes in one of Israel's northern bases. ==Political staffer career==

Emanuel began his political career with the public interest and consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. He went on to serve in a number of capacities in local and national politics, initially specializing in fund-raising for Illinois campaigns, and then nationally. Emanuel worked for Democrat Paul Simon's 1984 election to the U.S. Senate. He also worked as the national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1988, and was senior advisor and chief fund-raiser for Richard M. Daley's successful initial campaign for mayor of Chicago, in 1989. At the start of then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton's presidential primary campaign, Emanuel was appointed to direct the campaign's finance committee. Clinton embarked on an aggressive national fund-raising campaign that allowed the campaign to keep buying television time as attacks on Clinton's character threatened to swamp the campaign during the New Hampshire primary. Clinton's primary rival, Paul Tsongas (the New Hampshire Democratic primary winner), later withdrew, citing a lack of campaign funds. Richard Mintz, a Washington public relations consultant who worked with Emanuel on the campaign, spoke about the soundness of the idea: "It was that [extra] million dollars that really allowed the campaign to withstand the storm we had to ride out in New Hampshire [over Clinton's relationship with Gennifer Flowers and the controversy over his draft status during the Vietnam War]." Emanuel's knowledge of the top donors in the country, and his rapport with "heavily Jewish" donors helped Clinton amass a then-unheard-of sum of $72 million. While working on the Clinton campaign, Emanuel was paid a retainer by the investment bank Goldman Sachs. == Clinton administration ==

in 1993 Following the campaign, Emanuel served as a senior advisor to Clinton at the White House from 1993 to 1998. In the White House, Emanuel was initially assistant to the president for political affairs and then senior advisor to the president for policy and strategy. He was a leading strategist in White House efforts to institute NAFTA, increased deportations of undocumented immigrants and the 1994 Crime Bill, among other Clinton initiatives. Emanuel is known for his "take-no-prisoners style" that has earned him the nickname "Rahmbo." Emanuel sent a dead fish in a box to a pollster who was late delivering polling results. Blair and Clinton both burst into laughter. However, by 2007 friends of Emanuel were saying that he has "mellowed out". The character Josh Lyman in The West Wing was said to be based on Emanuel, though executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell denied this. ==Career in finance==

After serving as an advisor to Bill Clinton, in 1998 Emanuel resigned from his position in the administration and joined the investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella, where he worked for 2.5 years. Although he did not have an MBA or prior banking experience, he became a managing director at the firm's Chicago office in 1999, and according to congressional disclosures, made $16.2 million in his 2.5 years as a banker. At Wasserstein Perella, he worked on eight deals, including the acquisition by Commonwealth Edison of Peco Energy and the purchase by GTCR Golder Rauner of the SecurityLink home security unit from SBC Communications. During Emanuel's time on the board, Freddie Mac was plagued with scandals involving campaign contributions and accounting irregularities. The Bush administration rejected a request under the Freedom of Information Act to review Freddie Mac board minutes and correspondence during Emanuel's time as a director. During this time, he served on the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Housing Authority. ==Congressional career==

and Rep. Emanuel celebrate Paczki Day, February 28, 2006 Elections In 2002, Emanuel pursued the U.S. House seat in the 5th district of Illinois, previously held by Rod Blagojevich, who successfully ran for governor of Illinois. His strongest opponent in the crowded primary of eight was former Illinois state representative Nancy Kaszak. During the primary, Edward Moskal, president of the Polish American Congress, a political action committee endorsing Kaszak, called Emanuel a "millionaire carpetbagger". Emanuel won the primary and defeated Republican candidate Mark Augusti in the general election. Emanuel's inaugural election to the House with 67% was the closest he ever had for this seat, as he subsequently won more than 70% in all of his re-election bids. Tenure in Chicago's Polish Village Emanuel was elected after the October 2002 joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War, and so did not vote on it. However, in the lead up to the resolution, Emanuel spoke out in support of the war. In January 2003, Emanuel was named to the House Financial Services Committee and sat on the subcommittee that oversaw Freddie Mac. A few months later, Freddie Mac Chief Executive Officer Leland Brendsel was forced out and the committee and subcommittee commenced more than a year of hearings into Freddie Mac. Emanuel skipped every hearing allegedly for reasons of avoiding any appearance of favoritism, impropriety, or conflict of interest. Emanuel aligned himself with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Emanuel assumed the position of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman (DCCC) after the death of the previous chair, Bob Matsui. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2006 elections. The documentary HouseQuake, featuring Emanuel, chronicles those elections. Emanuel had disagreements over Democratic election strategy with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Dean favored a "fifty-state strategy", building support for the Democratic Party over the long term, while Emanuel advocated a more tactical approach focusing attention on key districts. in Denver, Colorado. The Democratic Party gained 30 seats in the House in the 2006 elections, and Emanuel received praise for his stewardship of the DCCC, even from Illinois Republican Rep. Ray LaHood, who said, "He legitimately can be called the golden boy of the Democratic Party today. He recruited the right candidates, found the money, and funded them, and provided issues for them. Rahm did what no one else could do in seven cycles." However, Emanuel also faced criticism for his failure to support progressive candidates, as Howard Dean advocated. Emanuel had "aggressively recruited right-leaning candidates, frequently military veterans, including former Republicans". Many of the Representatives that Rahm had recruited, such as Heath Shuler, ended up "[voting] against important Obama administration priorities, like economic stimulus, banking reform, and health care". Progressive activist Howie Klein has said that Emanuel's congressional campaign strategy was short-sighted, as it "contributed to the massive G.O.P. majorities we have now, the biggest since the nineteen-twenties" when the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 mid-term elections. After Emanuel's election as chairman of the Democratic Caucus (see below), Chris Van Hollen became committee chair for the 110th Congress. Democratic Caucus chairman After his role in helping the Democrats win the 2006 elections, Emanuel was believed to be a leading candidate for the position of Majority Whip. Nancy Pelosi, who became the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, persuaded him not to challenge Jim Clyburn, but instead to succeed Clyburn in the role of Democratic Caucus Chairman. In return, Pelosi agreed to assign the caucus chair more responsibilities, including "aspects of strategy and messaging, incumbent retention, policy development, and rapid-response communications". Caucus vice-chair John Larson remained in his role instead of running for the chairman position. After Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that he did not fall within the bounds of orders set for the executive branch, Emanuel called for cutting off the $4.8 million the Executive Branch provides for the Vice President's office. ==White House chief of staff==

Emanuel declared in April 2006 that he would support Hillary Clinton should she pursue the presidency in 2008. Emanuel remained close to Clinton after leaving the White House, talking strategy with her at least once a month as chairman of the DCCC. Emanuel remained neutral in the race until June 4, 2008, the day after the final primary contests, when he endorsed Obama. , as President Barack Obama talks on the phone on April 4, 2009. On November 6, 2008, Emanuel accepted the position of White House Chief of Staff for U.S. President Barack Obama. He resigned his congressional seat effective January 2, 2009. A special primary to fill his vacated congressional seat was held on March 3, 2009, and the special general election on April 7. John Fritchey, a candidate for that seat, said at a forum that Emanuel had told him he may be interested in running for the seat again in the future. Some Republican leaders criticized Emanuel's appointment because they believed it went against Obama's campaign promises of less divisive politics, given Emanuel's reputation as a partisan Democrat. Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, said that the choice indicated that Obama would not listen to the "wrong people" regarding the U.S.–Israel relationship. Some Palestinians expressed dismay at Emanuel's appointment. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, his father, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel said of his appointment, "Obviously he'll influence the President to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to be mopping floors at the White House." Emanuel nicknamed his White House colleague Ben Rhodes "Hamas" for advocating Palestinian human rights during internal policy debates, having once remarked, "Hamas over here, is going to make it impossible for my kid to have his fucking bar mitzvah in Israel." Weeks after accepting the appointment, Emanuel participated on a panel of corporate chief executive officers sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, and said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." Emanuel explained later, "... what I said was, never allow a good crisis to go to waste when it's an opportunity to do things that you had never considered, or that you didn't think were possible." In a 2009 article in The New York Times, Emanuel was characterized as being "perhaps the most influential chief of staff of a generation". Emanuel has a reputation for his no-holds-barred negotiation style that involves "his share of shouting and cursing". Ezekiel Emanuel has written, "The impatient, pushy Emanuel style is so well known that during a recent job interview I was asked, point-blank, whether I had the level-headed temperament the position required. ... . [A]s obvious as our flaws are to others, it's difficult to recognize them in ourselves." and after he was criticized by Sarah Palin, Emanuel apologized to organizations for mentally disabled people for using the word "retarded". According to Jonathan Alter's book, The Promise, Emanuel opposed Barack Obama's plan for a broad health care reform, but Obama overrode him. Emanuel advocated a smaller plan because it could get bi-partisan support. Emanuel wanted to expand coverage for children, and increase the number of single mothers eligible for Medicaid. For that reason, it was dubbed "the Titanic plan", a reference to the priority given to saving women and children during the sinking of the Titanic. Reportedly, House Speaker Pelosi had to convince Obama on the health care initiative after Emanuel dramatically scaled it back. Emanuel has since apologized for his role, saying, "Thank God for the country, he didn't listen to me", after the Supreme Court upheld "ObamaCare" in 2012. For a time, his desk had a nameplate reading "Undersecretary for Go Fuck Yourself", though it was removed after Michelle Obama expressed her dislike of it. Emanuel had a hand in warstrategy, political maneuvering, communications and economic policy. Bob Woodward wrote in ''Obama's Wars'' that Emanuel made a habit of telephoning CIA Director Leon Panetta and asking about the lethal drone strikes aimed at Al Qaeda, asking, "Who did we get today?". In 2010, Emanuel was reported to have conflicts with other senior members of the president's team and ideological clashes over policy. He was also the focal point of criticism from left-leaning Democrats for the administration's perceived move to the center. By September 2010, the Democrats anticipated heavy losses in the mid-term elections; this expectation was said to precipitate Emanuel's departure as chief of staff. ==Mayor of Chicago==

Elections 2011 On September 30, 2010, it was announced that Emanuel would leave his post as White House Chief of Staff to run for mayor of Chicago. He was replaced by Pete Rouse on October 2, 2010. Emanuel entered the race with high name recognition, having not only a sizable local profile, but also a sizable national profile. Emanuel's eligibility for office was challenged on the basis of an alleged lack of residency in Chicago for one year prior to the election. This was the period when Emanuel was in Washington serving as the White House chief of staff. The Board of Elections and the Cook County Circuit Court affirmed his eligibility. A divided Court of Appeals reversed the Circuit Court, holding on January 24, 2011, that residency for purposes of a candidate is different from residency for purposes of being a voter. A further appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court resulted in a unanimous decision reversing the Court of Appeals and affirming Emanuel's eligibility. In the race, Emanuel had a financial advantage over the other candidates. When Chicago journalist Dan Sinker revealed himself, Emanuel donated the money to Young Chicago Authors, a community organization which helps young people with writing and publishing skills. Obama presidential reelection campaign office Emanuel was elected on February 22, 2011, with 55% of the vote, and was sworn in as the 55th Mayor of Chicago on May 16, 2011, at the Pritzker Pavilion, becoming Chicago's first Jewish mayor. At his inauguration were outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley, Vice President Joe Biden, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, former Mayor Jane Byrne, and William M. Daley, brother of the outgoing mayor and who would later serve as White House Chief of Staff. 2015 In August 2014, Chicago Tribune poll reported Emanuel had a 35% approval rating as mayor of Chicago. In 2015, Emanuel won 56 percent of the vote in the run-off election against Jesús "Chuy" García held on April 7, 2015. He had been hurt by sharp neighborhood criticism of his decision to shut down 50 public schools in black and Latino neighborhoods, and his installation of red light cameras, together with anger at the high level of gun violence on the streets. On the other hand, he was supported by the business community and most elements of the Democratic party. 2019 Emanuel announced in October 2017 that he was running for reelection in 2019, despite low approval ratings and some potentially serious challengers. Emanuel had been leading in the polls prior to his decision to withdraw. However according to Politico citing data from Public Policy Polling, Rahm Emanuel had a lead over most of his potential challengers but it was "not enough to win the contest outright" and that in a head-to-head matchup with Paul Vallas, Vallas actually had a polling lead over Emanuel with 39 percent to 33. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Emanuel stated that he had been conferring with his wife and children for months before announcing the decision and that he felt it was time to "write the next chapter." Tenure Emanuel assembled a transition team from varied backgrounds. On November 16, the city council voted unanimously to adopt the mayor's first budget, which decreased the budget by $34 million and increased spending by $46.2 million, supported by increasing fees and fines. Despite most Aldermen opposing cuts to library workers and the closure of mental health clinics, they ultimately supported it, calling it "honest". At a news conference in November 2012, Emanuel listed his top three priorities for the state legislature as security and pension reform, adding a casino to Chicago, and equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. At a press conference with then Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who previously vetoed legislation to put a casino in Chicago, the two were "very close" to reaching a deal. In April 2018, Emanuel received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUI Galway, a university in Chicago's sister city of Galway, Ireland, with the conferrers citing achievements in education reform while Mayor. in August 2013 Aldermanic appointments As mayor, Emanuel appointed several individuals to fill vacancies on the Chicago City Council. This included appointing Natashia Holmes as 7th Ward alderman in 2013, Deb Mell as 33rd Ward alderman in 2013, Sophia King as 4th ward alderman in 2016, and Silvana Tabares as 23rd Ward alderman in 2018. Following the resignation of Willie Cochran in March 2019, Emanuel had the opportunity to make a final aldermanic appointment, appointing an interim alderman to hold the seat until his successor (to be elected in an April 2 runoff) would assume office on May 20. However, Emanuel did not make such an appointment, leaving the seat vacant until March 20. Police and community relations In August 2012, a federal lawsuit was filed by eleven Chicago police officers alleging they were removed from the mayoral security detail and replaced with officers who worked on Emanuel's mayoral campaign, in violation of the 1983 Shakman Decree, which bars city officials from making political considerations in the hiring process. Emanuel faced a great deal of criticism for his handling of the October 20, 2014 police murder of Laquan McDonald. The dash-cam video of the shooting was initially withheld, and only was released after a judge ordered it on November 24, 2015. After the video release, Emanuel was condemned for covering up the incident and allowing Chicago police to use excessive force against minorities. Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote that the Emanuel administration withheld from the public the police dashboard camera video of the shooting in order to secure the reelection. Emanuel responded to criticism of the shooting and how it was handled by firing police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. In early December, the federal Justice Department announced an investigation into the Chicago Police Department, a move which Emanuel initially called "misguided". Illinois state legislator La Shawn Ford also introduced a bill to recall the mayor (an effort most pundits claim was more symbolic than practical). Protests erupted soon after the release of the video. On Black Friday, protesters shut down part of the city's Magnificent Mile. Public calls for resignation grew steadily over this period, including a well-circulated op-ed published in The New York Times. By early December, Emanuel's approval rating had sunk to 18%, with 67% of Chicagoans disapproving of his job performance and slightly more than half of those polled calling for his resignation. During the week of December 10, protestors blocked streets and continued to call for Emanuel to resign. Additional protests against Emanuel and Chicago's Police Department were held on the city's busy Michigan Avenue shopping area on December 24, 2015. On December 26, 2015, a police officer killed two people in another shooting, including a woman whom the officer had shot by mistake. On December 28, Emanuel announced that he was cutting short his vacation in Cuba to deal with the crisis. Emanuel announced several changes to the Chicago police department on December 30, including doubling the number of Tasers issued to officers. On New Year's Eve, the Emanuel administration released e-mails revealing they had sought to coordinate with independent agencies such as the Independent Police Review Authority regarding public relations after the shooting. The same day The New Yorker added to the wave of negative media attention surrounding the mayor by publishing "The Sudden But Well-Deserved Fall of Rahm Emanuel," an article critically reevaluating Emanuel's legacy as a political operative since the early 1990s. The Chicago Tribune stated that this all-time record low job approval confirms a "public crisis in confidence" for Emanuel who had been subjected to weeks of public protests, allegations of him covering up the Laquan McDonald police shooting video, as well as federal civil rights investigation of his police department. For several months, Emanuel claimed that making the video public would jeopardize a federal investigation into the shooting and had refused to allow the video to be shown to the public, even though the Justice Department had not raised any issues with the public release of the footage. It wasn't until a judge forced its release that it was later seen that the contents in the video contradicted the police's narrative of what had occurred. Public backlash resulted from Emanuel's handling of the video, with a "steady barrage" of "Resign Rahm" protests since November". According to Chicago Tribune polls, the majority of voters did not believe Emanuel to be honest nor trustworthy. 83 percent of polled Chicagoans did not believe Emanuel's statements about the video, and 68 percent felt that he was not justified in withholding the video from the public. In response to the public backlash, Emanuel forced the resignation of Chicago's police chief, Garry McCarthy, as well as generating a plan that promised to reform the city's police department. Public education In 2012, during the contract negotiations between the city and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), compromise could not be reached over issues like health insurance increases, teacher evaluations, and seniority pay increases. On August 8, 2012, the CTU voted 90% to authorize a strike. On September 10, the CTU began a strike after CTU President Lewis declared that negotiations with the city were not succeeding. On September 14, the CTU reached a tentative agreement with the city which included preferences for teachers who have been laid off due to a school closing to be hired in another school and student test scores having less of a role in teacher evaluations than the city had originally planned. This tentative agreement did not hold, and the strike continued, after which Emanuel announced his intention to seek a legal injunction, forcing teachers back to work. On September 17, Emanuel's efforts to end the strike stalled as the walkout went into the second week. Delegates from the CTU voted to end the strike on September 18, 2012, and students began their return to the schools the following day. On September 17, 2013, Emanuel's appointed Chicago Board of Education announced the closing of 50 Chicago public schools, 49 elementary schools and a high school — the largest school closure in Chicago history. The trends in dropout and graduation rates have shown considerable improvement in the five years following, but researchers point out the alternative school performance does not follow the general trend. with United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture Robert Flider on June 8, 2012 Public health On August 16, 2011, Emanuel unveiled "Healthy Chicago", the city's first public health blueprint with Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Bechara Choucair. Emanuel initiated the consolidation of City Council committees from 19 to 16 in a cost control effort. On October 30, 2012, Emanuel voiced his support for the demolition of the abandoned Prentice Women's Hospital Building, in order for Northwestern University, which owns the property, to build a new facility. Preservationists supported historical landmark status. Days later, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted that the building met landmark status criteria then reversed their decision later in the same meeting. On November 15, a judge granted a temporary stay of the decision in order for a lawsuit filed by preservation coalitions against the landmark commission to be heard. Lack of transparency During Emanuel's time as mayor of Chicago, two of Emanuel's appointees, Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Amer Ahmad, were convicted of corruption charges. A third appointee, Forrest Claypool, resigned after the inspector general accused him of a cover up. Emanuel received backlash for defending him against the accusations. As a result, Emanuel came under fire for going against his campaign promise to create "the most open, accountable, and transparent government that the City of Chicago has ever seen". Emanuel and his office were found guilty of breaking state law by withholding government emails by transferring them onto his personal phone. Emanuel announced preliminary plans to award Elon Musk a contract to build a Hyperloop between downtown Chicago and the city's O'Hare International Airport, although it would receive no public subsidies under this plan. However, some criticized the fact that Elon Musk has in the past donated more than $55,000 to Emanuel's various election campaigns, suggesting a potential conflict of interest between the two. Tax-exempt status of Lollapalooza Lollapalooza, a local summer music festival in Grant Park, was exempt from taxation. Emanuel's brother Ari is the co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor, which co-owns the event. In 2011 Rahm Emanuel asked the City Council to appoint an independent third party negotiator, to avoid having the negotiation seen as biased. Although the deal was reached before Emanuel took office, tax breaks must be negotiated every year. It was later revealed that the festival received its tax exemption for 2011 in the final days of the Daley administration. In 2012, Lollapalooza paid taxes for the first time in seven years and extended its contract to host in Grant Park through 2021. Immigration Chicago became a de jure sanctuary city in 2012 when Emanuel and the City Council passed the Welcoming City Ordinance. Approval ratings End of tenure Emanuel planned to arrange for a smooth transition between his mayoral administration and that of his elected successor Lori Lightfoot. Reports were that he intended to model the transition between their administrations upon the U.S. presidential transition between the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Emanuel had been part of that transition as Obama's Chief of Staff designate. == Post-mayoral career ==

in 2022 in 2022 train in January 2023 Hours after Emanuel left office, the magazine The Atlantic, where he had written a dozen essays in prior months, made him a contributing editor; however, this honorary title was withdrawn after black staff members objected. In May 2019, he was named founding executive chair of the National BAM Advisory Council of the Becoming A Man youth program. In June 2019, Emanuel joined Centerview Partners as a senior counselor. Since July 2019, Emanuel has also served as a political analyst for ABC News. Potential cabinet position in Biden administration Progressive politicians nationally, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Matt Martin, opposed his potential inclusion in Joe Biden's Cabinet, citing his handling of the murder of Laquan McDonald. Initially, Emanuel was considered for transportation secretary in the Biden administration. United States ambassador to Japan It was reported in February 2021 that Emanuel was being considered by the Biden administration as an ambassador to either China or Japan. In April 2021 it was reported that Biden had chosen him as ambassador to Japan; Emanuel was formally nominated to serve as ambassador in August 2021. Hearings were held on Emanuel's nomination in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on October 20, 2021. The committee favorably reported Emanuel's nomination to the Senate floor on November 3, 2021. On December 18, 2021, the United States Senate confirmed Emanuel's nomination in a 48–21 vote; senators Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Warren were the only Democrats to vote against his confirmation. He presented his credentials to Japanese Emperor Naruhito on March 25, 2022. Emanuel gained popularity with the Japanese public, in part by using the local rail transport system to get around Tokyo and across the country, frequently posting photographs of himself using the rail systems on Twitter. However, he drew criticism from some Japanese politicians with his public statements on gay and transgender rights, released while Japanese lawmakers debated an anti-discrimination bill. Masamune Wada, a Liberal Democratic member of the House of Councillors responded, saying Emanuel should keep out of domestic politics or risk expulsion. In 2024, he became the first U.S. ambassador to visit Yonaguni. On August 7, 2024, it was announced that he would skip attending a memorial ceremony to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki because Israel was not invited to the ceremony. Post-ambassadorship Following his resignation as ambassador, Emanuel joined the New York-based investment banking firm Centerview Partners. He also joined CNN as a commentator and began writing a column for The Washington Post, as well as appearing on many political podcasts and the lecture circuit, leading many observers to believe that he is planning to run for president in 2028. ==Political positions==

to advocate changes to Medicare legislation, September 24, 2003 Social issues Emanuel was described as generally liberal on social issues in 2008. He has maintained a 100-percent pro-choice voting record and is a strong supporter of gun control, rated "F" by the NRA in December 2003. He strongly supported the banning of numerous rifles based upon "sporting purposes" criteria in 1998. During Emanuel's mayoral tenure and congressional term, he was supportive of LGBTQ rights. As mayor, he introduced an ordinance that prohibited public places from denying restroom access based on a person's gender identity, which was passed by the city council, as well as taking steps to remove the exclusion of gender reassignment services from city health care benefits, saying, "With this change, Chicago will ensure that transgender city employees are able to receive the medical care that they need." While serving in Congress, he was supportive of gay marriage, and he received an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, which gave him a score of 100 percent on issues of LGBTQ equality. Since the 2024 presidential election, Emanuel has expressed opposition to transgender rights, stating in a 2025 interview that he supports the incarceration of transgender women in men's prisons and that he does not believe a man could become a woman. He further argued in another interview that Democrats lost the election because they became distracted by defunding the police, climate change and "transgenderism". Healthcare During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel spoke in support of the goal of "to help make health care affordable and available for all Americans". According to reports, Emanuel aggressively pushed and himself admitted that he "begged" Obama for an entire week in the summer of 2009 to not pursue the ACA. In his 2006 book, co-authored with Bruce Reed, The Plan: Big Ideas for America, Emanuel advocated a three-month compulsory universal service program for Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. Economic policy Emanuel is a strong proponent of free trade. Foreign policy During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel supported "President Bush's position on Iraq.". In 2005, Emanuel said that he would have voted for and supported the Iraq war even if he knew that Bush lied about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction since he believed removing Saddam Hussein was "the right thing to do". Emanuel has been described as a "vocal Zionist". In 2025, Emanuel said he "support[s] the state of Israel", but that if he were elected president he would be willing to publicly disagree with Israeli policies. In November 2025, Emanuel urged "a long-term rebuilding of the narrative around Israel's needs" and added "If we do not grasp the depth of the situation, we will never fix it." at the annual General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). == Electoral history ==

;Mayor of Chicago ;US House of Representatives ==Personal life==

Emanuel and his wife, Amy Merritt Rule, have a son and two daughters. As of 2011, their family lived in the Ravenswood neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. Rule converted to Judaism shortly before their wedding. Emanuel is a close friend of fellow Chicagoan David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and Axelrod signed the ketuba, the Jewish marriage contract, at Emanuel's wedding. The Emanuels are members of the Chicago synagogue Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel. Each year during the winter holidays, Emanuel takes a family trip on which his children can be exposed to other cultures and parts of the world. Prior family trips have been to Vietnam, India, Kenya, Zambia, and South America. His 2015 holiday trip was scheduled for the island of Cuba. Emanuel is a longtime JoJo fan and attended her concert in Chicago in November 2016. He trains for and participates in triathlons. ==Publications==

Books • The Plan: Big Ideas for America, PublicAffairs, August 2006 (co-authored with Bruce Reed) Articles • "Why Chicago Leads on Police Reform", The New York Times, May 8, 2019 • "How Not to Lose to Donald Trump", The Atlantic, March 10, 2019 ==See also==